Roast Chicken from New York Cult Recipes by Marc Grossman

Ingredients

• 2 lemons, quartered
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) non-iodised salt
• 3.6 litres (126 fl oz) water
• 2 teaspoons black or yellow mustard seeds
• 300 g (10½ oz) sugar
• 2 tablespoons acacia or other light honey or maple syrup (optional)
• 1–2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1–2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 3 pinches ground black pepper
• 60 g (2¼ oz/¼ cup) butter or olive oil
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns